New to manga? Interested in manga? Want to start enjoying and collecting? Then read on!

Steps

1

Research what manga is all about. Use the internet and your local library, and ask people you know who might know about it.

2

Keep this in mind whilst thinking about reading and collecting manga: you need to understand that there are a LOT of genres, from action to adventure, sports/games to comedy, puppy love (young romance) to sensual romance, yaoi (manga and anime focusing on gay relationships) to yuri (manga and anime focusing on lesbian relationships), horror to mystery, and historical dramas to school life! Research and buy manga in good book shops or borrow manga from libraries or friends, and find which genres stand out for you!

Some very popular mangas are Death Note, Bleach, One Piece, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Naruto, just to give you some ideas.You don't HAVE to read these mangas, but you may want to have a go at reading them!

3

If you are currently earning money, go out and buy manga if you enjoy it (and after your other responsibilities are paid for). If you haven't got the money, then read your friends' mangas or borrow from the library. It is free after all!

4

Read manga series and volumes in order; otherwise you will get confused as to where the plot is going!

5

Read it properly. Proper Japanese manga are 'switched around'. In other words, rather than reading words from left to right, you need to mirror that. Read the manga panels, speech bubbles and thought bubbles right to left, and turn the left page right! This may sound difficult and confusing at first, but once you get the hang of properly reading and understanding manga, it gets easier and easier. Put some trust in that!

Many people, young and old, from just about everywhere in the world, enjoy manga! So don't be afraid to introduce friends and family to manga and anime, and to make new friends who are into manga as much as you are!

Community Q&A

Ever since I started reading manga, all of my friends have been calling me a weeaboo beating me up. Am I doing it wrong?

Sarina Herrera

If all you do is enjoy manga, no, you are not wrong. A weeaboo is a person who tries to be Japanese and makes a fool out of themselves by throwing words they found in manga and anime into every sentence, often mispronouncing them. You're not a weeaboo if you can respect the culture. I enjoy manga and anime and I am not a weeaboo because I don't try to be Japanese. If your friends are treating you poorly because of your interests, you should find new friends.

If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.

Tips

If you want to watch anime online, try www.animeseason.com. If you can't find the anime you are looking for, go on the homepage and click on "Full Series Listing" to search all of them in alphabetical order!

Some manga are also anime! Try watching them online, or get the DVD box sets.

Warnings

Make sure you have some money saved at all times. You don't want to buy so much manga that you become broke. Be prepared.

This may develop into an addiction!

Be careful where you look for anime on the internet; try to use the most reputable sites you can.

Different people have different tastes. If you are homophobic for example, then leave the Yaoi/Yuri manga and anime alone and quit cursing it! Move on to a genre which you enjoy reading.